So after being through this myself a bit... I will say this one thing.
If you want to do this for the fun as an experiment - go right ahead. It's a great way to learn stuff...
If you want to do this to get real life high quality (AAA+) tops on the cheap - you are in for a rude awakening... I have paid for this learning experience....
The massive majority of spruce and cedar simply won't make the cut above A grade.... It has too many knots, twist, sap pockets, and wonky grain... And on the East Coast - it's worse... Most of the stuff you are likely to find much south of Maine and NH is simply too small to get anything useful out... (That's a main reason Red Spruce is so expensive - the trees are still relatively small)
If you are interested in taking a voyage out to Western Canada or Alaska, it might be a different situation... But still - it's difficult to find a good billet...
On my own experience.. I bought quite a few billets that looked very very good... On the inside - I was greeted by sap pockets and pin knots... I spent quite a bit or money on those billets to get a few A grade top sets back out...
So for now - unless my situation changes with regards to living in Alaska or Canada - I will buy tops... Already graded.. In the grade I want... And it's a bargain - because the sawyer takes all the risk on the trees....
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